Bank of Finland Lennart Segerstråle Finlandia-Frescos The Finlandia frescos pained by Lennart Segerstråle on the staircase walls of the Bank of Finland’s main building were unveiled on 4 May 1943. In this brochure, art historian Helmiriitta Sariola discusses the frescos’ origins and Segerstråle’s career. Segerstråle himself described the content of the frescos in a leaflet published in 1943. A full translation of this leaflet is included in this brochure. 2 Contents Helmiriitta Sariola: War overSHadoWed tHe artiSt’S Work 4 lennart SegerStråle: Finlandia FreSco paintingS in tHe Bank oF Finland 10 The Finlandia frescos 10 The Bank of Finland staircase 10 Technique 11 The motifs 14 VICTORY: Gratitude and faith Lennart Segerstråle Works in Brochure © Kuvasto 2010 Photos: Matias Uusikylä. 3 War overshadoWed tHe artiSt’S Work The unveiling of Lennart Segerstråle’s Norway, attracted a great deal of appeal, art should be incorporated (1892–1975) Finlandia frescos on attention. In addition to the national in the current social programme: ‘in 4 May 1943 was considered one of romantic spirit, the expressive implementing building works’ the the most significant art events of the tendency in Norwegian fresco art most skilled artists should be wartime years. However, the frescos culminated in societal affirmation. assigned tasks ‘that would guarantee – ‘Finland Awakens’ and ‘Finland As the achievements of Norwegian full decoration of buildings and, at Builds’ – painted on the staircase monumental painting became better the same time, give Finnish art the walls of the Bank of Finland’s main known in Finland towards the end possibility to fulfil its greatest social building (completed in the 1880s) of the 1930s, discussion arose on task’. The appeal stated that it was had their origins in the years pre­ the need to support the genre. ‘a waste to allow the human capital ceding the Winter War of 1939–40. The exhibition raised hopes that the country has in its art In spring 1937, a large art exhi­ that Finland’s own artists could community to go to waste and not bition featuring modern Nor wegian have more opportunities to create let the artists participate in the monumental art was held in the Hel­ their own monumental art. The patriotic creation of Finland. We sinki Kunsthalle, a leading venue for wish to increase the proportion of are convinced that only swift and art exhibitions in the Finnish capital. monumental and public art was vigorous action will lead to the goal The exhibition, which presented the made concrete in an appeal encapsulated in the motto: Finland’s strong profane monumental art published in the newspapers in art belongs to the whole nation.’ movement that had arisen in November 1938. According to the The appeal was signed by the 4 President of the Republic and leading political and economic figures of the 1930s. Signatories connected with the Bank of Finland included Governor Risto Ryti and Väinö Tanner, Chair­ man of the Parliamentary Super­ visory Board. The Bank of Finland showed the way and, at the end of 1938, Governor Ryti commissioned sketches from artist Lennart Seger­ stråle for two fresco paintings plann ed for the Bank’s main staircase. Lennart Segerstråle was one of the Finnish artists in the 1930s with a clear orientation towards monumental art. He held the post of public artist and was highly esteemed. His parents were Knut Albert Segerstråle, theology teacher BATTLE Mother Finland and a lecturer at the Borgå Lyceum Sacrifice to freedom 5 in Porvoo, and painter Hanna animal painter. His objective was to Frosterus­Segerstråle. Lennart was harmoniously combine nature, the second oldest child of a large animals, birds and landscapes, family. He lived in Porvoo from which were all close to his heart. his childhood years onwards. His He also worked as a graphic artist mother’s art, life and child­rearing and was the first chairman of the principles were guided by a deep pan­Nordic artists’ association, religious conviction. Lennart’s Nordisk Grafik Union (NGU), youngest sister, Solveig von Schoultz, established in 1937. grew up to become a prominent, Segerstråle already began to turn profound and sensitive poet and increasingly towards monumental short­story writer. art in the 1920s. In the ’20s and Lennart Segerstråle completed ’30s, he made several stained­glass a forester’s degree at the University windows for churches. In 1929, he of Helsinki in 1915 and studied studied classic mosaic and fresco arts under Eero Järnefelt at the techniques at the Academy of Fine university drawing school. In the Arts in Copenhagen under Joachim 1920s and 1930s, Segerstråle was Skovgaard, who revived Danish and Finland’s most famous bird and Nordic monumental painting. 6 FINLAND AWAKENS 7 Segerstråle had assisted this famous the book Finlandia freskernas år – horizontal element in the paintings, artist in 1927 on a mosaic fresco Bilder av ett folk i kamp (‘The years while the monumental expression (Yttersta dagen, 1924–1927) painted of the Finlandia frescos – Pictures is born out of the effect of the in the apse of Lund Cathedral. of a people at war’), published in massive vertical wedges of light Segerstråle could not paint the 1944. In this book, the artist also and colour. The viewer finds himself frescos commissioned for the Bank discusses the connection between in front of a monumental stage of Finland until late winter 1943. the frescos and Sibelius’ symphonic where the historical narration not He was assisted in this work by the poem of the same name. only embraces time and place but painters Hilkka Toivola and Aale The frescos crystallised into a also attains a strong symbolic Hakava. Before beginning the actual multi­layered dramatic monumental character. Compared with the work of painting the frescos, Seger­ artwork portraying these fateful bright colours of Juho Rissanen’s stråle spent five years on preliminary years in the life of the Finnish stained­glass windows also found work that was interrupted by the nation. Segerstråle’s expression on the staircase, the colour scheme war and other tasks it brought. follows the model of the new Nor­ of the Finlandia frescos is relatively The war strongly overshadowed wegian monumental art. Such a sober. The colours are rendered in the development of the frescos from method of realisation was new for hues of blue turning into red and the original sketches of 1938 into him. The frescos are narrative, and green, and partly into white, brown the final paintings ‘Finland Awakens’ their immensely abundant and and black. The unifying colour is and ‘Finland Builds’. Seger stråle has diversified subject matter has been grey. The colour scale is typical of described the origins of the frescos rendered in a realistic and simple several frescos painted during the and his experiences of the time in way. The pictorial stories form a Norwegian fresco epoch. 8 Through the years of making cluded Juho Rissanen’s bright technically best and a lasting the Finlandia frescos, Segerstråle stained­glass windows from 1933 manner; because they will then be became an idealistic painter. The portraying harvest, log driving and created and coloured taking into war­time motifs in the frescos can the herring market spoke for consideration the lighting conditions be understood as a crisis­time separable plates. Segerstråle him­ on the staircase in question, and patriotic affirmation. Segerstråle’s self recounted that, when he cannot then be transferred to a production was in many respects received the assignment, Juho place where the lighting conditions exceptional in Finnish art. In the Rissanen’s stained­glass windows are not the same; and because in latter part of his life, his art was were to be transferred to a new the current Bank of Finland characterised by a strong Christian office building then being designed. building they will be in an humanist conviction, and he later During the preliminary stage of historically appropriate place, worked almost exclusively on work on the frescos, there was taking into account for example monumental church art. discussion of painting them on the fact that, during the war of According to the contract separable plates and transferring 1939–1940, the building served as Segerstråle signed with the Bank of them to the new offices instead. the government headquarters and Finland, the frescos were supposed When, in spring 1941, Segerstråle place of assembly’ (minutes of the to be ready before June 1942. No announced that he was ready to Parliamentary Supervisory Board decision was taken on whether begin work, it was decided that the in 1941). they should be painted on separable frescos be painted directly on the plates or directly on the wall. The wall in al fresco style ‘because they Helmiriitta Sariola fact that the staircase already in­ will then be executed in the Art historian 9 Finlandia FreSco paintingS in tHe Bank oF Finland The Finlandia frescos consisting of Professor Onni the range of colours in the stained In 1938, the then governor of the Okkonen (Professor of art history), glass, the frescos were kept relatively Bank of Finland, Risto Ryti, Professor Yrjö Hirn and Edvard moderate in colouring, putting commissioned artist Lennart Seger­ Richter MA – the task of monitoring more emphasis on light and its stråle to draw sketches for two fresco the development of the frescos. shadows and depths. The frescos’ paintings to be placed on the walls After five years of preliminary contents open up for the viewer so of the Bank’s main staircase, on sur­ work, interrupted by war and that the eye is led from the right faces measuring 7.50 x 3.70 metres. other duties related thereto, the up along the rising stairs through The artist was given full freedom artist was finally able to paint the the fresco on the left, with the regarding choice of motifs.